The present disclosure generally relates to nanopores, and more specifically, to artificial nanopores.
Nanopore development for single molecule sensing applications is a rapidly growing field. Natural nanopores are gene-expressed and generally form an aperture, or channel, between two lipid membranes. Various molecules, for example, proteins, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and other small molecules, traverse membranes through the nanopore. When a potential difference is generated across the lipid bilayer, ionic current can be monitored. A change in ionic current can indicate that a molecule(s) is binding to and/or moving through the nanopore. Different types of molecules can demonstrate different ionic current changes.
Natural or biological nanopores, such as alpha-hemolysin, can detect and identify DNA bases for sequencing applications. These nanopores also can be used for detecting drugs, explosives, or chemical warfare agents at the single molecule level.
Protein nanopores are nanopores that are genetically engineered to recognize different molecules, for example, different DNA bases. These genetically engineered nanopores can provide data with relatively high signals and resolutions. Like natural nanopores, however, genetically engineered nanopores rely on a suspended lipid bilayer for device operation.
Artificial nanopores do not rely on a lipid membrane. Artificial nanopores can include, for example, silicon nitride (SiN) or silicon oxide (SiO) and are generally apertures through two solid surfaces.